Serena Williams is aiming to win a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title when she faces Naomi Osaka in the US Open final on Saturday, just one year after giving birth.

The American, 36, hopes to equal Australian Margaret Court’s record.

Williams lost to Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final in July and could win her first Grand Slam title since having daughter Olympia.

Osaka, 20, is the first Japanese woman to reach a Grand Slam final.

The final begins at 21:00 BST on Arthur Ashe Stadium with the mixed doubles final, featuring Britain’s Jamie Murray, starting at 17:00.

Twentieth seed Osaka, who calls Williams her role model, beat her in their only previous match.

But that was in the Miami Open in March this year – Williams’ second tournament back since her return.

“I was breast-feeding at the time, so it was a totally different situation,” said Williams. “Hopefully I won’t play like that again. I can only go up from that match.”

Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian celebrated her return to the US Open final with a touching Twitter tribute – a video of her in action and the first days of their daughter.

The 36-year-old suffered life threatening complications after the birth on September 1 last year, requiring four surgeries to deal with blood clots.

“She fought for her life, for our child, for recognition, for equal pay, for women’s rights. She never gives up,” Ohanian tweeted.

Williams said: “A year ago I was fighting for my life in the hospital after I had the baby. Every time I step out on this court I’m so grateful that I have the opportunity to play this sport.”

• ‘I dreamed of facing Serena in Grand Slam final’
• Injured Nadal will ‘keep fighting on’

Age is not a factor – the best of the stats

• Williams has gone beyond Steffi Graf’s haul of 22 Grand Slam titles, and now has won the most by any player in the Open era (since 1968). Only Margaret Court, on 24, is ahead in the all-time list.
• 2002 was the year Williams’ first became world number one.
• The American has reached 31 Grand Slam singles finals.
• Williams was 17 when she won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open, defeating world number one Martina Hingis.
• Williams has won a record number of 331 Grand Slam singles matches
• She is the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam in the Open era, and the oldest world number one.
• Williams has also won 23 doubles titles, including 14 Grand Slams and three Olympic golds.

Open era’s oldest Grand Slam women’s finalists

Osaka meets idol on biggest stage

Osaka is aiming to make history in the final by becoming Japan’s first Grand Slam champion.

Like Williams she has dropped just one set during the tournament and has spent less time on court than the 23-time major winner in the six rounds so far.

Osaka was just one year old when Williams won her first US Open title in 1999 and says she “always dreamed” of playing the American in a Slam final.

The 20-year-old had not reached a Grand Slam quarter-final before this tournament whereas Williams is competing in her 31st Slam final and second since her returning to action.

“When you just come back and then you make the finals of two slams, I think that’s really amazing,” Osaka said of Williams.

“But I really feel like I don’t want to overthink this match, so I’m not going to think that she’s so much better than she was in Miami.”

Osaka has been coached by Williams’ former coach Sascha Bajin since December 2017 and he has overseen her rise from 68 in the world at the start of the season to her current position of 19.

“She was a big hitter before I started with her. She knew how to play tennis,” he said. “She maybe didn’t know quite how to handle it or control it, didn’t quite know when to pull the trigger, when not to.

“Maybe she didn’t know that there were other ways of putting pressure on the opponent. Now she’s more open-minded on the court about other things than just trying to crush the opponent.”

How they reached the final

Serena Williams

R1: bt Magda Linette (POL) 6-4, 6-0

R2: bt Carina Witthoeft (GER) 6-2, 6-2

R3: bt Venus Williams (USA x16) 6-1, 6-2

R4: bt Kaia Kanepi (EST) 6-0, 4-6, 6-3

QF: bt Karolina Pliskova (CZE x8) 6-4, 6-3

SF: bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT x19) 6-3, 6-0

Naomi Osaka

R1: bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-3, 6-2

R2: bt Julia Glushko (ISR) 6-2, 6-0

R3: bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-0, 6-0

R4: bt Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x26) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4

QF: bt Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 6-1, 6-1

SF: bt Madison Keys (USA x14) 6-2, 6-4

Britain’s Murray aiming for sixth title

Defending British champion Jamie Murray will compete in his third US Open mixed doubles final but his first with American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Murray, 32, won in New York last year with Martina Hingis and is aiming to win his sixth Grand Slam title.

The pair will play Poland’s Alicja Rosolska and Croatia’s Nikola Mektic in Saturday’s final on Arthur Ashe.

Mattek-Sands is aiming to win her eighth Grand Slam title and her first since suffering a horrific knee injury at Wimbledon last year.

She was forced to miss eight months before returning to reach the second round of the French Open this year.

“The chance to get into a Grand Slam final again was a big motivation for me,” said Murray.

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American Mike Bryan won a record 18th Grand Slam men’s doubles title alongside compatriot Jack Sock when the pair beat Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-3 6-1 in the US Open final.

The third seeds also won Wimbledon together earlier this year, the first Grand Slam title Bryan won without his twin brother Bob.

Bryan, 40, has now surpassed Australian John Newcombe’s doubles record.

“This is not just about me. It’s a team effort,” said Bryan

“It takes a lot of people behind the scenes to get this 40-year-old body on the court and winning a couple of matches.”

Bryan and Sock won all their service games in the tournament and became the first duo to win consecutive Grand Slam titles since Mike and Bob achieved four in a row in 2012.

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Novak Djokovic moved closer to equalling Pete Sampras’s tally of 14 Grand Slams after outclassing Kei Nishikori to reach the US Open final.

Serbia’s Djokovic beat the Japanese 21st seed 6-3 6-4 6-2 to set up a meeting with Juan Martin del Potro.

Djokovic and Argentine Del Potro, who advanced when Rafael Nadal retired injured from their semi-final, meet in the final on Sunday at 21:00 BST.

“It means the world to me. I am trying to be the best that I can be,” he said.

“I am working hard every day and trying to reach certain heights that I visualise every time I accomplish something big.

“I don’t see any limits. I keep on going and hopefully you are enjoying my tennis.”

• ‘I will keep fighting,’ says injured Nadal
• • Williams targets record-equalling title as Osaka faces her idol

The 31-year-old moved to within one Grand Slam triumph of American great Sampras by winning Wimbledon in July, his first major triumph since the 2016 French Open.

Djokovic suffered with personal and injury problems during 2017 and the early part of this year, but looked back to his best at Wimbledon and has continued that form at Flushing Meadows.

If he beats Del Potro to equal Sampras, only Roger Federer (20) and Nadal (17) stand above him in the all-time list.

Rejuvenated Djokovic marches on

Although Djokovic has struggled with the heat and humidity at times, there were no such problems as he looked energetic in cooler conditions during Friday’s night-time semi-final.

The 2011 and 2015 champion suffocated Nishikori with his deep returning, controlling the points and rarely allowing his opponent to drag him into long rallies.

Djokovic’s level rarely dropped throughout a two-and-a-half hour victory, the only slight concern being his inability to convert the plethora of break points which came his way.

The sixth seed only took one of five in the first set and missed another four in the first game of the second set.

But his patience was eventually rewarded at a fourth opportunity in the fifth game, and he then broke twice more in a much simpler third set.

“I thought I came in today from the first point with a great intensity, great focus,” said Djokovic.

“You have to execute the shots against Kei Nishikori, who is one of the quickest movers.”

• Relive semi-finals as they happened

Japan’s hopes of a double success over

Nishikori, 28, was aiming to become the second Japanese player to reach a US Open final at this year’s tournament, following 20-year-old Naomi Osaka’s semi-final triumph over American Madison Keys on Thursday.

While Osaka will face her idol Serena Williams in her first major final on Saturday, Nishikori will have to wait for another chance to play in his second.

The 2014 US Open runner-up could not be faulted for his endeavour, but was powerless to stop his thumping groundstrokes continually being put back into play by Djokovic.

More success came Nishikori’s way when he was able to move into the net, particularly in the second set when he conjured up two break points.

However, he was unable to take either and wilted as Djokovic went on to take his second match point with a stunning retrieving backhand down the line.

• Hewett & Reid reach wheelchair doubles final
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Britain’s defending champions Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid beat Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez and Japan’s Shingo Kuneida to reach the men’s wheelchair doubles final at the US Open.

They triumphed 7-5 4-6 10-6 after a championship tie-break.

The match had been postponed at the end of the first set on Thursday night because of thunderstorms.

Hewett and Reid will take on top seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer of France in the final.

• Hewett endures ‘horrible’ journey to reach New York

Hewett also advanced to the wheelchair singles semi-finals after fighting back from 5-2 down in the first set and 4-1 in the second to beat Belgium’s Joachim Gerard 7-5 6-4.

It was an impressive performance from the 20-year-old, who had to sleep on the floor at Chicago airport on Monday night after experiencing major problems on his journey to New York.

The world number two will face Fernandez in the last four after the Argentine overcame Reid 6-1 6-4.

Britain’s Lucy Shuker and German partner Sabine Ellerbrock lost their women’s doubles semi-final 6-0 6-0 to top seeds Diede de Groot of the Netherlands and Yui Kamiji of Japan.

Shuker also lost 6-4 6-4 to South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane in the women’s singles quarter-finals.

Fellow Briton Andy Lapthorne beat American Bryan Barten 6-1 6-4 but lost 6-4 6-2 to top seed David Wagner in quad singles round-robin matches.

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World number one Rafael Nadal says he “will keep fighting and working hard” after he was forced to retire from his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro because of a knee injury.

The three-time champion retired at the end of the second set with Del Potro leading 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 on Arthur Ashe.

“I will keep going. That is all,” Nadal said in a post-match press conference.

“These moments are tough but I have to keep going and working hard to get more opportunities.”

Nadal has reached four Grand Slam finals in the last two years – winning the US Open in 2017 and back-to-back French Open titles in 2017 and 2018.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open this year, as well as the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

“I am having two great years so I just have to enjoy the moments. This year has been fantastic until this moment,” he added.

“I am playing the right way and enjoying things. I am having success at the age of 32. A lot of people in this room, including me, didn’t think I would be at this level at this age.

“I still have a passion for the game so I will keep fighting and working hard.”

• US Open semi-finals – live radio and text
• Del Potro through to final after Nadal retires

Nadal said he “hated retiring” but was in “too much pain” to continue the defence of his US Open title.

The Spaniard has suffered from tendonitis in his knee in the past and spent eight months away from tennis between 2012 and 2013.

He missed around three months in 2014 and 2016 because of difficulties with wrist injuries and appendicitis.

“All my career everybody said that because of my style, I will have a short career,” he added. “But I’m still here.”

Experience is key to recovery – Nadal

The world number one doesn’t expect to be out for long and claims his team are “experienced” at dealing with his knee injuries.

“I cannot compare the knee with other times as the pain is always very similar. This time it was a little bit more aggressive with my movement,” said Nadal.

“I don’t know what can happen in a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Mentally it is much worse. I know what I have. It is a similar thing to always so it is about good treatment.

“It is not an injury that tells you, ‘three weeks off, you are back. Six months off you are back.’ I know what I have to do to be better as soon as possible. I am sure it will not be six months off of course, I was just making a comparison.”

Analysis

BBC Sport tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Nadal hardly ever retires. Del Potro was playing so well though and there was no way back for Nadal. I didn’t take any pleasure in watching Nadal go through the motions in that second set – especially in case he did more damage.

But it was great to see him talking about his future afterwards. Yes, it is bitterly disappointing but he has added another Grand Slam title in 2018 and he is world number one.

He knows there is lots to look forward to and he has the patience to keep going. Let’s hope he is not out for too long.

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